GarageBand, Logic: Where loops get installed

When you install Apple Loops from GarageBand, Logic Pro/Express, or any Jam Pack, you may notice that your loops don't all reside in the same location. Not only that, loop locations may vary from system to system, depending on what version (or versions) of GarageBand or Logic you've installed.

GarageBand 2 or later and Logic Pro/Express 7.1 or later store loop content in a different default location than earlier versions. If you have one or more Jam Packs installed, each package stores its loop content in a different location as well.

GarageBand 2 or later and Logic Pro/Express 7.1 and later install their loops in:

/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple/

Apple Loops for GarageBand Jam Pack Symphony Orchestra and Jam Pack World Music install loops in their own named folders in:

/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple/

Depending on what version of GarageBand or Logic you're using, and if you've had different versions installed on your computer, loop locations may differ as follows:

Scenario 1

If GarageBand 2 or later or Logic 7.1 or later is the first version ever installed on your computer, all GarageBand loop content will be at the GarageBand 2 default location, as described above.

Scenario 2

If GarageBand 1 or Logic 7.0 is the only version ever installed on your computer (you haven't upgraded to 2.0 or later or 7.1 or later respectively), all loop content will be at the GarageBand 1 default location, as described above.

Scenario 3

If you upgraded to GarageBand 2 or later or Logic 7.1 or later from an earlier version, all new loops introduced in the later version will be installed in the GarageBand 2 default location. All other loops common to both versions will remain at the default loop location for GarageBand 1. In other words, the software installer will detect the earlier installation and will only install the new content to the new location, leaving the old content where it has always been.

All Jam Pack loop content is always installed at each package's default location, as described above. It doesn't matter which software version you're using; Jam Pack loops will always remain at their original location.

If you install any third-party loops, the content should install in its own folder within the default location for the current version of GarageBand or Logic that you're using. In other words, if you installed third-party loops while using GarageBand 1 and then upgrade to version 2 or later, these loops should still reside within their own named folders in:

/Library/Application Support/GarageBand/Apple Loops/

However, if the content was installed after upgrading to GarageBand 2 or later or Logic 7.1 or later, the loops should be in their own named folders in:

/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple/

All user-created loops in GarageBand 2 or later or Logic 7.1 or later will be placed at either of the following locations:

/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/User Loops

~/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/User Loops

Note: The tilde (~) represents your home folder. To get to this location, in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder from the menu. Type ~/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/User Loops in the "Go to the folder" field and press the Go button.

Whether they go into the home folder path or the system path depends on the "My Apple Loops" preference you have set in the Loops pane of GarageBand preferences.